Vacuum-well



(No Model.)

J. M. SEYMOUR.

VACUUM WELL.

No. 333,681. Patented Jan. 5, 1886.

-. PETERS. Photo-Likhognphen wzlhinglon. ac.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. SEYMOUR, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

VACUUM-WELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,681, dated. January 5, 1886. Application filed Xovember12,1884. Serial No. 147,804. f N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. SEYMOUR, a citizen of the United States, residing in Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum- \Vells, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in such wells as are excavated in the ground and lined with a curb or casing, and is intended, first, to promote the flow of water from the subterranean veins into a chamber located below the natural waterlevel; secondly, to discharge the accumulated air from said waterchamber; and, thirdly, to indicate the tension under which the water is being drawn from the well and the amount of air in connection therewith.

The invention consists, first, in a casing fitted to the sides of the well,w'ith an air-tight diaphragm secured across it in contact with the water, and having a suction-pipe inserted in the said diaphragm; secondly, in the combination, with the chamber formed by such casing and diaphragm, of a man-hole and of a vacuum -vessel extended to or above the 'natural water-level and provided with either a vacuum gage, a glass gage, or a ventcock, as hereinafter fully set forth.

' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of the casing and diaphragm with the several attachments. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of a Well,

showing the same parts in section on line as x in Pig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section of the casing and diaphragm through the man-hole on line 2 z in Fig. 1.

' A is the air-tight casing; B, the diaphragm; O, the water-chamber; P, the space abovesaid diaphragm; ww, the natural level of thewater; D, the suction-pipe; E, the vacuum-vessel; f, a glass gage affixed to it by couplings g g; h, a vent-cock, and z a vacuum-gage applied to the top of the air-vessel.

J is a brick lining for the bore of the well above the water-tight casing, and Kthe manhole in the diaphragm, through which a man can enter the chamber G to clean it out. The diaphragm may be secured air-tight to the casing in any suitable manner, the drawings showing the latter formed of cast-iron, with a flange provided at a suitable point above the bottom to sustain the diaphragm,which would be bolted to it, as shown in Fig. 1,with a suitable packing to make a tight joint. The casing is extended above the diaphragm from four to eight feet, so that the roof of the waterchamber may be protected from the influx of water when located below the natural waterlevel, as is required in my invention, and the lining ofthe well above the highest water-level may then be made of brick, stone, or any other material.

In constructing such a well the casing,with

. the diaphragm removed, is set in a pit dug to fit its diameter, and the earthisthen excavated within it in such manner that it is gradually sunk in the ground to such a level that the diaphragm-supporting flange Z is several feet below the natural water-level-say from three to ten feet, according to the character of the well.

As the well has to be kept clear of water while the operators are excavating, this level can only be determined by noting the level of the first springs encountered, or by letting the well fill up to its normal height and then sinking the casing to such point that the diaphragm may occupy the desired position. The casing may be provided with holes at in the sides at its lower part for the admission of the water, as shown in Fig. 2, or may be open only at the bottom, as shown in Fig. 3; and when the diaphragm is secured air-tight in its place a water-chamber exists which is certain to be filled with water as long as the supply to the well is sustained. The suction-pipe D, when operated to draw off the water, tends to produce a partial vacuum in the close chamber 0, and thus induces a greater flow of water into it than if the same were open to the air, and as the diaphragm or roof of the chamber is below the natural water-level the suction pipe is able to remove the water without extending below the diaphragm, and the water is therefore less disturbed than if the pipe extended down to or near the bottom of the well. The vacuumvessel E serves to collect any air that may be disengaged from the wa er in the chamber E,

attached glass gage to or above the natural level of the water the gage will serve to show such level by mere inspection whenever the water is at rest. The cock it serves to discharge the air from the vessel by opening the cock and letting the water rise to its natural level; or it may be used -to admit a certain amount of air to the vessel, when the suction-pump connected with the pipe D is in operation, to partially diminish the vacuum therein, so as to ease the working of the pump. The vacuumgage 1' serves to indicate the tension of the air or fluid in the vessel E, and thus shows the resistance to the suction at the level of the gage. As this resistance varies with the flow of the water into the well, or with any change in the natural level of the water in the well when at rest, the gage t serves indirectly to indicate such changes in the flow or level of the water. The vessel E is intended to receive and discharge at pleasure all the air accumulated from the water, and to thus keep the water in contact with the diaphragm, so that the suctiolrpump may at all times draw solid water, and thus avoid the danger of such accidents as result to the pump when air is suddenly taken into the pumpcylinder in place of water, and violent movements result from the sudden lessening of the resistance. To thus secure the contact of the diaphragm and the water,the former is inserted in the casing below the natural water-level, and the vessel E is provided to receive and retain all such air, the latter being discharged from the vessel from time to time, when the vacuum is greatly impaired, by bringing the pump to rest and allowing the water elevated by the suction in the pipe D to return into the chamber (1 and expel the air from the vessel E. Such expulsion is secured by opening the cock 71 which affords the means of precisely regulating the partial vacuum in the vessel E to suit the requirements of the pump, and thus securing an easy movement for the latter under different conditions of the water-supply. The cock may-also, if desired, be con nected witha suction apparatus for withdrawing the air from the vessel when overcharged, to avoid stopping the pump, in connection with the pipe D.

The state of the art in such inventions is shown in United States Patents Nos. 12,542, of 1855; 132,567, of 1872; 256,291, of 1882, and 265,629, of 1882, which show various combinations of pumps and air-vessels in which air is compressed, whereas the operation of my invention requires a vacuum-vessel in which the air is rarefied.

I am aware that in driven wells andin cased wells covered over tightly'at the surface of the ground a partial vacuum is maintained to promote the flow of water from the soil, and do not therefore claim merely a construction which produces such a result.

I am also aware that the casing of a tubewell has been converted into a steam or air cylinder, and a'pistoirhead reciprocated between diaphragms fixed in such casing, as in United States Patent No. 132,567; but in such construction the pump-valves are located and operate below the upper line of the waterchamber, and the only air-vessel provided in the construction is one for compressed air and connected with a delivery-pipe. The pumping mechanism therefore acts to draw the water directly from the chamber and the soil surrounding it independently of the air-chamber, and without the constant influence of a vacuum-vessel for developing a flow of water into the casing.

My invention is limited to a waterchamber having the suction-pipe merely connected through its upper cover,and having avacuumvessel connected so as not only to gather the air that may be accumulated in the upper part of the vessel, but may serve to ease the flow of the water in the suction-pipe D, and to produce a continuous suction in the adjacent soil.

My invention is designed for use only in excavated wells of such capacity that an operator can enter the water-chamber O; and I am not aware of any such wells having a diaphragm placed in contact with the water, or maintained in contact with the water by means of a vacuum-vessel located entirely above such diaphragm. Neither am I aware of any well in which an air-tight chamber, 0, below the water-level coexists with an open chamber, P, above the water-level, in which latter space the operator may have access to the roof of the tight chamber and to its attachments.

I disclaim herein the mere forming of a tight connection with the water-bearing strata, as means for effecting that has long been known; and I also disclaim the mere tight covering of an excavated well for effecting such a connection; but,

Having shown the peculiar nature of myimprovement and the advantages gained thereby, I claim the same as follows:

1. In a well excavated as described and provided with a tight curb or casing, A, at the bottom, the combination,with such curb, of the water-chamber C, the tight diaphragm B at the top of said chamber, in contact with the water, and provided with the suction pipe D and vacuum-vessel E, connected thereto, the whole arranged and operated substantially as herein set forth.

bination, with the curb A, of the chamber 0, the diaphragm B in contact with the water, the suction-pipe D and vacuum-vessel E, and the man-hole K, the whole arranged and operated substantially as set forth.

3. In a well excavated as described and pro vided with a curb, A, at the bottom, the combinatiomwith such curb, of the diaphragm By in contact with the water, the suction-pipe-D,r the vacuum-vessel E, and the cock h in the vessel E, for regulating the inlet or outlet of IIO - r 20 2. In a well excavated as described, the comair, the whole arranged and operated substantially as set forth 4. In a well excavated as described and provided with a curb, A, at the bottom, the combination,with such curb, of the diaphragm B in contact with the water, the suction-pipe D, the vacuum-vessel E, the cock h, and the glass gagef, to indicate the level of the water in the vacuum-vessel, the whole arranged and operated substantially as set forth.

5. In a well excavated as described and provided with a curb, A, at the bottom, the combinationmith such curb, of the diaphragm 

